Rumor St. Mary's losing ABA accreditation True of False? THIS IS FOR SURE FALSE

I am really interested in attending St. Mary's in San Antonio but an Alumni (undergrad not law school) told me that they are in danger of losing ABA status due to their low bar passage rate (61% vs Tx avg of 78%) Has anyone else heard this? Should I call and ask the school or would they even admit it if they were? Any ideas?

Before pulling accreditation, they have to go through probation first, with ABA? I don't think they are able to pull accreditation without warning the school, or letting the school improve itself. ABA can threaten to pull accreditation, in order to force the school to improve their services, such as increase law schools budget, etc.

I dont know but 61% is low enough to suggest you should steer clear regardless.Not alot of options. I am not a T1 kinda guy. 2.06 159 does not get you into the schools with 90%+ bar passage rates. Thanks for the advice though I wish I were in a better position, but you take the hand you are dealt and play it.

Please be careful when relying on "rumors" about important topics. What you say you have been told is false. There is no truth to any rumors concerning accreditation. In fact, the "rumor" is so outlandish it would fit in with the headlines of whatever the academic equivalent of the National Enquirer is--actually, the rumor reminds me of an equally absurd headline from the Daily Star: BAT BOY ESCAPES!

Your statistics are incorrect as well. I would suggest that you go to the Texas Board of Law Examiners website at www.ble.state.tx.us and check the statistics for the latest bar exam (July 2004)(St. Mary's has an EIGHTY PERCENT pass rate for first-time takers) and check the school's relative position as compared with the other schools.

Although there have been some problems with the bar passage rate in the past, the overall statistical trend is that the school's bar passage rates have been on the rise. Everyone knows of isolated stories of students from each and every one of the Texas law schools who, for one reason or another, did not pass the Texas bar exam on the first try. No Texas law school has a 100 percent pass rate every year. However, it is important to focus on the big picture. The number of first-time takers who pass is a significant statistic. The "repeaters" number is misleading because one is allowed to take the Texas bar exam five times. What's more, some people have been misled by the results for the February exam. The school actively discourages its students from taking the February exam and emphasizes taking the exam in July. As a result, you tend to see very small numbers of students taking the February exam (e.g., twenty-two first-time takers in February 2004) and some of these students have not yet graduated. If you focus on the July first-time taker exam numbers for recent years, you will have better information.

Furthermore, St. Mary's University School of Law ("StMU-Law") has prominent and well-published law professors and the tenth most cited law journal by courts in the nation--yes, that's right, in the nation. The rankings are as follows: 1) Harvard, 2) Columbia, 3) Yale 4) Michigan 5) New York 6) Georgetown 7) University of Chicago Vanderbilt 9) Texas Law Review 10) St Mary's University School of Law. It is no secret that many law schools have regional influence, but St. Mary's is an old school. In the 1970s and 1980s it routinely ranked in the top three or four law schools in Texas in terms of bar passage rate. In the 1990s and in 2000 and 2002 there were some problems with the bar passage rates, but the school put a plan into place to address those problems. StMU-Law had a goal to be at or above the statewide average for the overall bar passage rate by 2006. They met that goal in 2004--two years ahead of schedule. I also note that StMU-Law never wavered in its commitment to diversity. They now have an eighty percent first-time taker pass rate. All indicators point to an increasing bar passage rate over the next several years. If the school stays on track, they will reclaim their former position and rival the best law schools in the state as they did in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Older members of the Texas legal community (members who are now partners in law firms) remember StMU-Law's stellar reputation from those decades. The school is currently in sixth place out of the nine law schools in Texas (check the first-time taker bar passage rate on the aforementioned Board of Law School Examiners website) and you can evaluate the schools above and below that number. Administration officials at StMU-Law will be happy to discuss these and other facts, so call them and ask questions.

There is absolutely no truth to this rumor. St. Mary's has way too many influential alumni (Sen Cornyn, Lots of Judges, etc) to allow this. St. Mary's is a decent school because of the fact that there are a large number of jobs in San Antonio and very little competition from other schools. That being said, St. Marys doesnt place well out of SA. If you want to end up somewhere else I'd suggest STCL. Personally, I think San Antonio is a great and cheap city, but it isnt for everyone. As far as bar pass rates, if you take a good prep class and prepare for the test as seriously as you should, passing should not be a major problem. My friend that went to STMU just passed the July Bar (granted it was his 3rd try).

Thanks for the replies! I was in absolutely no way trying to attack or spread false rumors about St. Mary's. I applied to 3 schools and will be ecstatic if I am accepted to any of them (UofH, St. Mary's, and STCL) I visited St. Mary's and it was by far my favorite in terms of the campus atmosphere. I was only concerned because of what I had been told I was worried about spending 3 years and 70k on a JD that would be worthless without accredidation. My fears were unfounded(as I now know) and I HOPE I get the chance to attend St. Mary's!

It does look like Esq. Could be an adcomm person. And now I think he or she hates me because I posted a question about St. Mary's losing accredidation, when it is a school that I really would love to go to. ESQ I REALLY WOULD LOVE TO GO TO ST. MARY'S.!!! Man what if this person is an Adcomm and they are looking for my file right now. Jeez now I am paranoid, I probably ruined my chances at getting accepted to a school I really would like to go to, just by asking an honest question. I am going to go kick the guys butt who told me this in the first place, and he is a St. Mary's alumni. Damnit! St. Mary's PICK ME!!!!! I will never ask questions about rumors again!

Aww, don't sweat it Blake. What the adcomm person I talked to told me was that they are really just looking to make sure there isn't any misinformation going around that could give potential applicants a bad impression of their school. I don't think they'd ding someone simply for asking a legitimate question, especially since it gave them (or someone, anyway) the opportunity to boast about the school.